Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has plans to permit private bus operators to pick up passengers on existing CIE routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12506/04]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My proposals in regard to regulatory reform of the bus market in the greater Dublin area were set out in my November 2002 statement to the Public Transport Partnership Forum and are currently the subject of consultations with the trade unions. The detailed provisions in regard to the proposed new regulatory regime for bus services, both in Dublin and the rest of the country, will be set out in legislation which I plan to have enacted during 2004. However, in regard to the existing regulatory regime, the Road Transport Act 1932 provides for the licensing of private operators to operate coach and bus services within the State. The Department is required under section 11(3)(a) of the 1932 Act to apply a public interest test to applications for licences. The Minister must consider whether the service proposed is in the public interest having regard to the passenger road services and other forms of passenger transport available to the public on or in the neighbourhood of the route of the proposed service.

Generally, the "public interest" is interpreted as being best served by enhancing and facilitating an expansion of the range of public transport services available to the public as opposed to allowing unrestricted competition for market share. The Department also examines applications for added value to the public in terms of the route and locations to be served, the timing of services and the days on which services are available, in order to maximise the availability, regularity and frequency of service.

In compliance with the legislation, each case is considered on its individual merits and restrictions are placed on licences from time to time in an effort to avoid direct conflict between operators, including the CIE companies, while at the same time ensuring the availability of a good range and spread of services to the travelling public. These restrictions can, where appropriate, include conditions attached to a licence restricting an operator in relation to the setting down or picking up of passengers on a particular section of a route to avoid conflict with existing operators. However on some routes, particularly city services, some degree of shared running is unavoidable, particularly where route sharing is proposed solely as an essential, but incidental, component of the proposed service.